Valencia police clash with students protesting social cutbacks

Sixteen demonstrators detained after two days of unrest.

Police in Valencia arrest a girl on Friday during the student protest. / KAI FÖRSTERLING

EL PAÍS Valencia 17 FEB 2012 – 20:59 CET

Valencia police arrested six people on Friday after security forces reportedly charged a group of students who had gathered near a police station to protest the arrests of 10 people in another demonstration the previous day.Riot police armed with shields and clubs surrounded the students — many of them juveniles — who had gone to the Zapadores headquarters to demand that police release those who were arrested for protesting social service cuts by the regional government. Some parents said they will file charges against the police for illegally detaining some of their children.

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Castellón Airport steps up efforts to bring in airlines.

Aerocas, the public company that manages Castellón Airport, has been intensifying efforts to have flights when it expects to open in April 2012.  According to company sources, contacts have been made with half a dozen of firms with the aim of launching flights in April. Efforts were especially intense at the World Routes Fair in Berlin, which promoted 800 airports and 300 airlines around the world. The provincial Tourism office has also negotiated with international tour operators to bring charter flights to the airport. Furthermore, it points to the arrival by air of 25,000 Austrian pensioners, next spring, through the agency Senioren Reisen. It was intended to do so this campaign, but  the delay in opening forced them to divert flights to Reus and Manises. The provincial government had to bear the costs of the transfer by road to Castellón.
With the current crisis it is not an easy task.  Existing airports such as Lleida, Huesca and Ciudad Real, with little traffic, can attest to that. Reus will also become an airport without flights in the new year until operators renew their summer flight schedules.
Aerocas maintains its forecast of 600,000 passengers for the first year of operation but the  Ministry of Tourism recently  halved this expected  figure to 300,000 passengers.
In the meantime the company will see it’s budget for 2012 reduced by 58% as the provincial government starts its austerity programme. It will receive 34.9 million euros, 38 million less than in 2011 despite its launch scheduled for the first half of 2012. The airport plans to start flights in the first half of 2012 and reach full activity in 2013. Their objective, as stated in the budget, is to strengthen rural tourism.